When the Ottawa Senators acquired forward Matt Duchene on Nov. 5, it seemed as if the Senators gained the necessary means to compete for a top spot in the Atlantic Division. Over a month since the trade, the Senators have been struggling.

Ottawa has lost 10 of its last 11 games, posting an 1-8-2 record. The Senators have scored 18 goals in that span and lost the first two games of their California road trip, including a heart-breaking 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.

On Saturday, Ottawa has an opportunity to end its misery against the San Jose Sharks, who are coming off Thursday's overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ben Harpur draws in for the Senators on Saturday night. For Ottawa's coaching staff, it was a vital move to place him in the lineup.

"Harpur's had some terrific looks the past two games," Senators head coach Guy Boucher told reporters. "He's been hard, he's got poise, hes's a big guy and we thought he fit very well with Erik [Karlsson].

Sharks defenceman Brent Burns has been dealt with a sub-par start to the season by his own standards. The reigning Norris Trophy winner has 14 points this season which is 38th amongst defencemen. In San Jose's win over Carolina, Burns recorded two points.

"We dove into the analytics on [Burns] and his shots and where he's getting them from in comparison to other years," Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters . "We just feel it's a little puck luck on his end. Those guys...they find a way."